The need for speed

Speaking of French trains, today was a big day in the world of high-speed rail:

A high-speed French train with a souped-up engine and wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph..... However, it fell short of the ultimate record set by Japan's non-conventional magnetically levitated train, which sped to 361 mph in 2003. (from AP)

The proposed California high-speed rail would be slower: "At speeds up to 220 mph, the express travel time from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles is just under 2 ½ hours." Westworld.com has speeds for MTA's rail lines:

Red Line -- 70 mph maximum

Blue Line -- 55 mph max allowable; 35 mph street running

Green Line -- 55-65 mph

What do you think? Do we need faster trains? Hit the COMMENT button and speak out!

Comments

[zz ziled]

Public comment solicited about high-speed rail
BY KAREN MAESHIRO, Staff Writer
http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_5588019
Article Last Updated: 04/03/2007 09:57:05 PM PDT

PALMDALE - A meeting will be held next week to gather public input on a proposed high-speed rail system that would run through the Antelope Valley.

The meeting is part of the environmental review process for the segment between Palmdale and Los Angeles and will provide residents with an opportunity to learn about the project, ask questions and provide feedback.

"The scoping meeting gives the public an opportunity to talk to the lead agency and consultants who are doing the work to provide input on what they think ought to be covered in the environmental documents," said Dan Leavitt, deputy director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

The proposed alignment for the Los Angeles-to-Palmdale segment would use existing rail lines along San Fernando Road through Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank and San Fernando before continuing through Santa Clarita and into Palmdale.

Meetings will be held in cities along the corridor. The Palmdale meeting will be held from 3 to 5p.m. and from 6 to 8p.m. April 12 at Palmdale City Hall, 38300 Sierra Highway.

Other meetings are set for Glendale, Los Angeles and Sylmar.

Written comments regarding the project will be accepted until April 27 and
can be sent to Leavitt, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Los Angeles - Palmdale Segment, 925 L St., Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814.

"We are hopeful the public will come to these," Leavitt said. "We are excited about this work. We believe this project is essential for California's transportation future."

A $9.95 billion high-speed rail bond measure is set for the November 2008 ballot. The measure has twice been pulled from previous ballots.

The proposal would generate about half the funding needed to build a rail line linking Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and San Francisco with trains running at top speeds of more than 200 mph.

The proposed alignment would follow Highway 58 from Bakersfield to Mojave, then run south along the Union Pacific railroad tracks through Lancaster, Palmdale and Soledad Canyon. Plans call for the system to be expanded so it also eventually reaches San Diego and Sacramento.

Rail authority officials said the system could carry more than 100 million passengers annually by 2030 and reduce traffic by removing more than 50 million auto trips per year.

At-grade railroad street crossings would be separated from vehicle traffic, and as many as 450,000 jobs would be created under the full project.

karen.maeshiro@dailynews.com
(661) 267-5744

[zz ziled]

NOTICE: Open Public Comment Period on CA HIGH SPEED RAIL PROJECT until 27 April 2007.

A Palmdale meeting on the issue will be held from 3 to 5p.m. and from 6 to 8p.m. April 12 at Palmdale City Hall, 38300 Sierra Highway.

Other meetings are set for Glendale, Los Angeles and Sylmar.

Written comments regarding the project will be accepted until April 27 to Mr.

Dan Leavitt (Deputy Director); email: dleavitt@hsr.ca.gov

Snail mail can be sent to: California High-Speed Rail Authority, Los Angeles - Palmdale Segment, 925 L St., Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814. [Tel: (916) 324-1541]
http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/

[zz ziled]

The MetroLA blog says: "The communities between downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean contribute to the busiest transit activity in the county. Traffic has exponentially increased, as more jobs and residents move west. With both buses and cars not able to move at anything but a snail’s pace..."

So how exactly ARE we suppose to get to this mythical HIGH SPEED RAIL?
And how long will it take to get inland from the coast?

We need INTER-MODAL PASSENGER Mass TRANSIT PLANNING between all nature of transportation authorities NOW ! What we have now is fragmented thinking and fragmented planning. As an example, the Metro Green Line is still the line to nowhere---It connects to neither LAX to the West, the City Bus Terminal [NW], nor MetroLink Trains to the East...and a connection to Long distance Bus Services such as Greyhound is missing in action! If we had intermodal passenger mass transit planing among transport agencies these hubs and systems would NOT be orphan transportation systems and people would move as easily as inter-modal freight.

[zz ziled]

The MetroLA blog says: "The communities between downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean contribute to the busiest transit activity in the county. Traffic has exponentially increased, as more jobs and residents move west. With both buses and cars not able to move at anything but a snail’s pace..."

So how exactly ARE we suppose to get to this mythical HIGH SPEED RAIL?
And how long will it take to get inland from the coast?

We need INTER-MODAL PASSENGER Mass TRANSIT PLANNING between all nature of transportation authorities NOW ! What we have now is fragmented thinking and fragmented planning. As an example, the Metro Green Line is still the line to nowhere---It connects to neither LAX to the West, the City Bus Terminal [NW], nor MetroLink Trains to the East...and a connection to Long distance Bus Services such as Greyhound is missing in action! If we had intermodal passenger mass transit planing among transport agencies these hubs and systems would NOT be orphan transportation systems and people would move as easily as inter-modal freight.

[Bob Zwolinski]

California needed High Speed Rail decades ago!
It's a dirty shame that we still don't have it yet.
With our government, I doubt if we ever will.
Europe and Asia will always be decades ahead of the U.S. in transportation.

[Richard]

The most significant item in this story about the new high speed rail speed record is that steel wheel on steel rail nearly matched magical maglev in the speed department. 357.2 mph is a little less than 4 mph lower than the maglev record of 361 mph. Maglev is still a fantasy for passenger rail. It probably will remain that way.

An interesting story here on the only maglev railway in commercial operation from the Chinese press:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200703/28/eng20070328_361724.html

All those others so determined to build maglev railways (including Senator Harry Reid of Nevada) should take note of what was written in this article. Doesn’t read like Communist Chinese propaganda to me.

[Bart Reed]

The Gold Line actually has a higher average running speed than the Blue Line. Some time ago, Metro lopped off 5 minutes from the end to end running time, which used to be 34 minutes, but now it is 29 minutes. The original express train ran end to end in 29 minutes and now it is 24 minutes.

To travel the 13.9 mile route, the average speed is 34.75 MPH for the express trains and 28.77 for the local service. Compare that to a Rapid Bus at 15 MPH. The Green Line is faster, but it has 3 key station gaps. Perception or not, the facts remain.

[movielocke]

GOLD LINE - 5 MPH - also why no one in Pasadena commuting actually rides the train, because you could bike the distance a hell of a lot faster than that creepy crawly rail line.

[Shaun]

Yes, CA needs this high speed rail line desperately. Driving is getting tough, especially on holiday weekends. And airports are running out of space and room to expand. We need alternatives and this is a great alternative. Just as we need alternatives like heavy rail instead of driving, we need alternatives instead of driving and flying. The more options the better for all of us.

As far as LA is concerned we need more rail lines and trains that go 70mph so we can get to Union Station quickly and hop on that high speed train up to the Bay Area.

[Sheryl]

Speed is less an issue than convenience. A train from San Diego to San Francisco doesn't need to be fast--it needs to stop about every 30 miles to pick up people who are traveling either between internal stops or to one end or the other of it.

If you need a 2 hour trip, then fly.

Easy to get on and off, with simple connections to local mass transit should be the selling point of a train--Metrolink's model is perfectly workable, even for such a distance as SF, SD or even Las Vegas.

[stilosilva]

Do we need faster trains? What a joke of a question...sadly enough, we are LONG overdue. It's pathetic and shameful. I can't wait until the day I can use a high speed train in California.

[greg kay]

purple line: exisiting - 70 mph max
purple line: extension - no radar invented yet that can clock the mind-blistering speed of the MTA

[Richard]

You forgot to list the Gold line.

What's the maximum speed on it's street running? 20 mph?